Jason Biggs

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT JASON BIGGS - PAGE 3

7 P.M. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ABC Keira Knightley gets lucky to be saved by Johnny Depp. Even with those bad teeth, that's a good thing. The O.C. Fox The beach bums and babes are back, and Ryan makes a "life-changing" decision. Oh, the drama. Smallville WB The Dukes reunite as Tom Wopat guest stars as Jonathan's oldest friend. Jonathan, of course, is John Schneider, Wopat's "Dukes of Hazzard" co-star. 7:30 P.M. Will & Grace NBC Jack fumes when "Baby Glenn" (guest Jason Biggs)

NEW TO DVD/VIDEO. Capsule reviews of new DVDs/videos released Tuesday (subject to change by studios): American Wedding (star)1/2 One more slice of raunchy comedy from the "American Pie" franchise, "American Wedding" brings back most of the male members of the "Pie" gang for a high-priced wedding--between clumsy Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) and ever-ready band camper Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan)--that manages to be both gross and sentimental, often at the same time.

Here are selected capsule reviews of movies in current release. = Among the new movies that open this week. = Hannibal(star)(star)(star) Anthony Hopkins returns as Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter in this gore-filled sequel to 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs." This time around, FBI agent Clarice Starling is played by Julianne Moore and director Ridley Scott delivers a gorgeous feast for enraptured eyes and strong stomachs. R (strong gruesome violence, some nudity and language)

The good news about "Anything Else" is that it's one of the best Woody Allen movies in recent years. The bad news is that Allen seems so alienated from audiences lately they may still pass it by for something else . . . anything else. That's too bad. This acid-tongued and nervy comedy about young love, paranoia and the unlikely bond between aspiring actor Jerry (Jason Biggs) and his irascible mentor David Dobel (Woody Allen) deserves better. It charts Jerry's romantic fall and comedic rise through his own eyes and Dobel's.

Movie success often breeds complacency, and "American Wedding" is there to prove it. One more slice of raunchy comedy from the "American Pie" franchise, it brings back most of the male members of the gang for a wedding between clumsy Jim (Jason Biggs) and ever-ready band-camper Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). Somehow it manages to be both gross and sentimental, often at the same time. What the movie does miss, especially by comparison with the first "Pie," is laughs. The whole thing is one big, fat, geek wedding fiasco.

BROADCAST "FRANKIE AND JOHNNY" . 7 p.m., MNT-Ch. 50 Not to be confused with the 1991 Al Pacino-Michelle Pfeiffer romantic comedy, this 1966 musical is an Elvis Presley vehicle -- one of many airing around the tube this week in observance of the 30th anniversary of his death. Here, he plays a riverboat performer whose gambling addiction threatens his relationship with his girl (Donna Douglas). A fortuneteller's prediction throws another obstacle in their path. Harry Morgan also stars.

There may be a wedding in store for the series finale of "Frasier"--but not necessarily for its title character. The hourlong "Frasier" finale May 13 will feature a number of guest stars and revolve around the pending marriage of Frasier's (Kelsey Grammer) dad, Martin. Frasier and brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) offer to take over planning for Martin's wedding to Ronee (Wendie Malick) after their dad mistakenly books a reception hall for the wrong day. The brothers only have a few days to do the job. Mom-to-be Daphne (Jane Leeves)

By Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) | November 18, 2002

Lorraine Bracco, who plays Tony's quiet and conservative psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, on "The Sopranos," will make her Broadway debut Nov. 19. Bracco is replacing Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate." "I wanted a challenge," Bracco said. "This will be my Ph.D. in acting. Dr. Melfi is the last big role I kind of created, and I've been getting a little comfortable. I'm not at all bored with her, because I think the writing is extraordinary, but I thought it was about time I jumped."

RedEye rounds up a few R-rated flicks -- past, present and future. BACK IN THE DAY There's Something About Mary Naughty bit: Ben Stiller has an oh-so-painful-looking run-in with a zipper. American Pie Naughty bit: The flick's title confection is used to teach Jason Biggs about the art of love. Scary Movie Naughty bit: Carmen Electra doesn't wear much when she flees the killer. NOW Sex and the City Naughty bit: What part of this movie isn't naughty?

Sharon Stone built her entire career on a fraction of a second of screen time. You have to admire that. So why does Stone insist, to this day, that it was her superior acting in "Basic Instinct" that opened the door to fortune and fame, and not the most famous peekaboo in cinematic history? There's no doubt Stone was good, very good, as suspected killer Catherine Tramell. So good, in fact, that a sequel, the imaginatively titled "Basic Instinct 2," blows into theaters Friday.